Club Chef's Association of America - Greater Chicago Chapter

Ask any club chef how much the industry has evolved over the last 10 years. "Are you kidding me?" joked one chef we recently spoke with, "Not just 10, this industry has evolved over the last year!"

The Club Chef Association of America (CCAA) - Greater Chicago Chapter exists to help Chicago-area club chefs adapt to the ever-changing culinary and club world through a sense of community. It is a part of their founding principles.

"As the culinary profession advances and expands, so do the needs and wants of the professional chef. As the club environment and membership evolves, the professional chef needs to adapt his or her management practices to succeed. The CCAA continues to offer a platform where members can successfully share knowledge, ideas and practices to help the individual member effectively meet their professional needs."

The organization was founded in 1989 by a small group of club chefs in the Chicago-area. This small collection of club chefs understood the unique challenges they faced. It was through that forward-thinking attitude they were able to come together and share knowledge, ideas and best practices within their industry.

Today, the group has grown to over 100 members. On May 8th, the association came together for the 27th Annual Charity Golf Outing. Club Chefs, Food & Beverage Managers, Sous Chefs and trusted vendors across Chicagoland gathered for a day of golf at White Eagle Golf Club - followed by dinner and a casino night.

VGM Club was the title sponsor of the event. We gathered friends from Royal Cup, Jackson Family Wines, Sysco, YETI, VGM Club Furniture Program, Chefworks, Shoes for Crews, Tito's Vodka, PepsiCo, Gatorade and Frito Lay to help sponsor the activities.

We reveled at the value this added to the members of the CCAA. Beyond the chance to unwind and spend a beautiful day on the course with fellow CCAA members - the charitable golf outing was filled with stories, recipes and outstanding ideas to find success.

Not only was the event great for members of the CCAA, but also great for our partners.

Carol Swift, of VGM Club Furniture Program said it best, "This event is great for me because it helps me put a face to the name. I work with many of these individuals. Events such as this one help me showcase a few of the solutions I can offer to their club, all while continuing to build on the relationships I have forged over email and the phone."

The 27th Annual Charity Golf Outing perfectly encapsulated the community VGM Club strives to build.

Regional Sales Manager Chris Kehe expands on this thought further, "Locally in Chicago, we have a lot of great VGM Club members that interact with multiple members of our team on a regular basis. As an organization, we strive to not only be a resource with a savings opportunity; but to create a sense of belonging within our membership.

Events such as the CCAA charity golf event are very important to all of us at VGM Club. They serve as an opportunity to have fun, support a great cause, and continue to build personal relationships between our VGM staff, our members, and our partners. A sense of belonging and community will inherently be the result of our consistent efforts supporting golf industry events and by serving our members and partners on a daily basis."

"Come Together for Savings, Come Together for Solutions, Come Together with VGM Club"